UK Diesel Fuel Prices

The current average price for Diesel Fuel in pence per litre is:

This is based on the average price of Unleaded sold around the UK over the last 10 days. If you would like to use our petrol pricing information then please contact us

The chart below gives the average price of diesel fuel for the last few years. You can see that the price of petrol swings quite wildly over time due to market forces. The main influence of the price of diesel fuel is the price of a barrel of oil.

What is diesel fuel?

Diesel is generally easier to refine than than unleaded fuel and contains a slightly higher calorific value (around 17% higher than unleaded) this help it to achieve the higher miles per gallon that you get out of Diesel cars, but isn t the only factor. Diesel engines are fundementally more efficient that petrol engines as they can obtain higher compression ratios and still do not suffer from  engine knock which is where the fuel ignites at the wrong time in the cycle. This fundemental difference allows around 20-40% more efficiency in a diesel car.

Diesel fuel has had a bad name in the past as being a  dirty fuel this is mainly due to its generally high sulphur content and the fact that it produces particulates when burnt. Modern Diesel engines however to do produce these heavy particulates and modern legislation requires all diesel to have its sulphur level reduced significantly. These actions, combined with the higher fuel efficiency, have lead to Diesel being considered a more environmentally friendly fuel.

Cost of Diesel Fuel

Historically Diesel and Unleaded fuel in the UK tend to track each other quite well, with only a few pence difference.

In 2009 the price difference between Diesel and Unleaded has widened compared to previous years. In 2008 Diesel was around 2p per litre more than unleaded, yet in 2009 it peaked at 11p higher than Unleaded. It is tempting to blame the evil petrol companies, but unfortunately this price difference may be due to the fact that more and more have switched to Diesel cars. This is causing a large problem with the oil refineries who cannot modify their plants overnight and as a result they have to pump out Diesel fuel using less efficient processes. This costs them more and hence the price goes up.

Or it could be due to the new requirements for ultra-low sulphur fuel which is driving up the prices, or it could be the petro-industry profiteering from higher Diesel costs which the haulage industry pay, whilst trying to keep the public happy with lower unleaded fuel charges. The price difference narrowed again towards the end of 2009

Submit Known Diesel Fuel Prices

Use the map below to find stations near you that sell petrol. This information relies on you to help keep it up to date so please fill in any prices that you know by clicking on the "Update Prices" buttons on any fuel station